It’s
never too early to bring home the legal awards, and, thanks to excellent
writing skills, that’s just what three first-year law students have done at
William & Mary. Debra Wong ’15, Aaron Gold ’15, and Sean Campbell ’15 were recently
announced as winners of the 2013 Kaufman & Canoles Writing Prizes, awarded
each year for outstanding performance in William & Mary Law School’s Legal
Practice Program.

The
students received their awards at a luncheon held in April at the Law School.
On hand from Kaufman & Canoles were Alison
V. Lennarz, of counsel; Dustin
Devore ’01, partner
in the firm’s Williamsburg office; and Greg Davis ’86, managing partner of the Williamsburg
office and a member of the firm’s executive committee.

Wong, who hails from Needham, Mass., was named first-place winner for Best
Overall Brief. Her writing instructor, Rachel J. Suddarth, praised her emergence
as a strong writer on the first assignment and credited her with since becoming
“a phenomenal legal writer.”

Earning
second place for Best Plaintiff Brief was Gold, from Mount Olive, N.J. Writing
instructor Jennifer S. Stevenson described him as “the most serious and
committed law student,” one who regularly gets to the Law School at 4:30 a.m.,
and whose professionalism will serve him well in a law career.

And Campbell, a native of Visalia, Calif., took third place with Best Defense Brief.
According to Associate Dean Robert E. Kaplan, Campbell’s precise writing,
strong word choice, and tight and well-reasoned analysis were instrumental in
his receiving the award.

Davis, who is not only an alumnus of the Law School but also aformer adjunct faculty member,
said that Kaufman & Canoles is proud of its 30-year association with
William & Mary.

“Having
a relationship where we’re known at William & Mary is very important to us,” he said. “We want the word to get out to students that we’re supporters of
the law school and of students who have interest in varied practice.”

Related Links

Faculty on Topic

Jeffrey Bellin, associate professor of law at William and Mary Law School, says law-enforcement officials can use an individual's social-media posts as criminal evidence as well as the posts of an individual's "3,000 friends."

Faculty on Topic

Adam Gershowitz, professor of law in the W&M Law School, argues that law-enforcement officials can search your cell phone records because they are considered to be housed in a "container."